Trial By Ice
by saiyuri-dahlia
Summary: In which the key to unlocking Ken's relationship upgrade with Miyako is ice-skating and Ken only has a week to learn how or risk bruising more than his backside in front of his heart's chosen girl. Kenyako.
1. Chapter 1

Story Title: Trial By Ice

Disclaimer: Still don't own Digimon 02.

Author's Notes: After a long hiatus, I'm finally writing again for the Kenyako fandom and I have missed writing them. I haven't actually even read a Kenyako fic in a year and I was surprised to see a handful had appeared in that time. There's still some life kicking in the Kenyako section and here's one more...

Any and all mistakes in depicting how to learn to ice-skate are my fault, seeing how I don't know how to skate myself. Admittedly, this story is old but I saw no reason to squander the time and effort already put into it by not posting it. I hope readers can find some enjoyment out of it.

Due to the length of this oneshot, it was split in half and became a two-shot. Part 2 will come soon after a much-needed rewrite. Thank you for reading.

-o-

Chapter One: What Ken Will Do For Love

-o-

Six in the morning, dawn had yet to officially break and on the first public bus to nearby Odaiba, Ken laid his head against the chilly, frost-paned window and tried not to fall back asleep. So far, he was succeeding in that endeavor, though his hastily eaten breakfast pitching from side to side helped him out a little.

Ken counted the lit streetlights across the road as the bus passed by each lamp's soft orange glow to keep his mind active and alert. Normally he'd be in his bed in Tamachi until seven, but he was following a new morning schedule this week so he was up and on a bus before daybreak. The reason why was simple and universally understood by every eleven-year-old boy who ever had a crush:

There was a girl and he had to impress her.

Her name was Miyako Inoue and what seemed like a long time ago, she had a crush on him but at the time Ken had issues, _major issues_, and wasn't a very nice person. But that was then and this was now and now that Ken had reverted to his true good nature and was on the straight and narrow road to mental health and piecing something resembling a self-esteem inside himself and discovered that he liked what a smart, funny ball of energy she was, Miyako just wanted to be friends.

Of course if they were meant to be just friends, Ken understood but he didn't want to be just friends. He liked her, really liked her, and he wanted to go out on a real date with her, not just hang out together. She used to really like him too and he hoped she still did.

Arriving at the indoor rink, Ken set his schoolbag and skates (well, they were actually Osamu's old pair but they fit Ken well enough) atop one of many blue and white tables situated outside the ice and waited for his teacher to arrive. All of the other Chosen Children knew how to ice-skate and were more than willing to teach Ken, feeling lucky his friends were so generous and insistent on helping him out.

"Morning, Ken! Ready to skate?" Sora cheerfully called as she made her way over to him.

Through familiar ties, Sora had gained permission for them to come and practice as early as they wanted. For that, Ken was appreciative. Despite the early rise and bus hopping, Ken was happy to be able to practice in private. At least then no one else could see his successes in failure and he wouldn't get in anyone's way this time. His first lesson with Takeru last Saturday had been during regular business hours and had been, politely speaking, a disaster.

Reasonably, it was a little chilly inside the building but Sora in her green school uniform didn't seem to mind while she put on her white skates as Ken waited shivering in his gray school uniform and black skates and he wasn't even the one in the pleated skirt. It was also quite possible his shivering had nothing to do with the chill and all to do with looking like a fool again out on the ice.

Sora smiled—she was definitely a morning person—and said, "Let's head over and get started, okay?"

Ken nodded and followed. "Thank you… Thank you for helping me learn how to ice-skate. Please forgive me for being a bother and inconveniencing you but I do feel as if this is the only chance I have to show Miyako how I feel. For your help, I am eternally grateful and I promise one day I will repay your kindness." He finished his thank-you with a quick bow.

At that, Sora laughed. "Ah, no need to be so formal. I'm happy to help. Just do your best and win Miyako's heart," she said and winked, making Ken's ears pink and warm.

And then, Sora glided onto the ice. Of course, her transition onto the ice was natural. "Takeru got you started, right? Show me how far you got with him."

So impressed by Sora's skill, Ken hoped he could mimic her and that alone would grant him her ability to skate. But, of course, as he made his transition, reality stepped with him onto the ice.

Ken stood in the gateway and tried not to fall, one steady hand gripping the edge of the rink gate for balance. His legs were quivering, and not because he was cold, and Ken hovered his other hand over the other side of the gate, in case he suddenly needed to take hold of it.

"Okay, what did Takeru show you?" Sora called from the center of the rink.

"This." As his feet slipped apart, Ken lost focus and stood in the open gate holding the rink wall with both hands for support. "We got to this."

"Oh…" Sora said, her shoulders drooping as she saw his apparent level of skill (or lack thereof). "You really don't know how to skate at all, do you?"

She quickly skated over to him and helped him hold himself up.

If Ken was going to learn how to skate, he had to first learn how to stand on the ice, without the assistance of a terrified death-grip on the walls, and to get out of the gate, of course. Both seemed like distant hopes to Ken but that was what Ken was here for—to learn.

"It's all a matter of balancing on the blade's edge," Sora told Ken.

Well, okay, except Ken's legs were as sturdy as Daisuke's french fry tower after Veemon, Hikari, Miyako, and Yamato—well, pretty much everyone—had picked through it and Ken wasn't finding his balance. Ken told himself to find the middle but he was also pretty sure the middle didn't exist. If it wasn't for Sora and the other Chosen Children and thousands of others contradicting otherwise, Ken would have believed ice-skating was simply a made-up prank and could not be done.

Ken held on and tried to stand on the ice while Sora kindly gave support, both physical and verbal, and kept him from falling. Time passed and Ken started feeling as if he had possibly, maybe found his balance…and then the last of his stamina faded. Ken's knees knocked together and his skate's blades tilted away from each other and dug into the gate.

"It's okay. I've got you, " Sora assured and held up his slipping frame until she pulled him out of the gate.

Ken pressed his back against the rink wall and slid himself to a seat on the floor. He really did not have the strength to do anything else. His arms and legs were shaking and his heart pounded. He really was completely graceless and absolutely useless out on the ice. His face burning, Ken bowed his head and let his hair curtain over his face in what he hoped was not a too pointless attempt to hide his shame from Sora.

Catching the time from a clock above the skate rental stand, Ken marveled how late it already was. And yet they had accomplished nothing.

Ken slumped over and stared at his worthless noodle legs. "Sora, what if this is futile? Maybe I can't learn…"

"Nonsense, it's only your second time on the ice," Sora said, smiling beside him.

Ken wasn't sure if her smile was genuine or she was simply trying to be comforting. Either way, he didn't feel any more confident. If anything, he wanted to bow to her and apologize profusely for wasting her time.

The alarm on her watch chimed. Sora shut it off and began removing her skates. "Everybody's awkward at first. Give it time. It's only Monday."

_That's right_, Ken thought as he untied his skate laces._ I have several more days of this. More days of looking like a fool. More days to fail._

Sora laid her hand on Ken's shoulder and the touch drew Ken out of his thoughts. He turned and met her gaze. At her bright, encouraging smile, Ken could not help but offer back his own weaker, less-confident but nonetheless hopeful smile.

…_Though I suppose…I have more days to succeed._

-o-

Because of his commute, his morning lessons only lasted for one hour. Ken had thought he had planned out the timing between the bus routes to Odaiba and back to Tamachi and to his school perfectly, but he supposed he had failed in calculating possible traffic delay at all and he supposed he was also foolishly optimistic in believing that nothing would ever throw the bus schedules off. In the normal world, nothing usually would.

But since Murphy's law was in full effect this morning, there had been a delay and Ken had missed his usual bus to school and was left with no other choice but to board another and get off as close as possible and run the remaining distance like Kuwagamon were on his tail.

And so after running all that way and suffering through a series of cliché comedic mishaps, Ken arrived at school fifteen minutes late, shocking his teacher and fellow classmates as he rushed into the classroom and to his seat, readily giving out-of-breath apologizes for his tardiness.

His face was vividly red and sweaty and his violet-blue hair was messy, sticking out at all angles, dripping wet, and randomly streaked with bits of sweet potato paste he had failed to clean off. He was so unlike like their perfect genius, Ken wondered, with all their staring, if they thought he was somebody else.

Since counteracting the effects of the Dark Spore, in a sense Ken was somebody else. He had left the soccer team and, though he remained very smart, he still had to study to maintain his grades. It was more of an act of reassurance than a necessity. In between classes, he still kept to himself, more out of shyness than arrogance now, but when his classmates did approach him, he was happy to talk and help out if they asked him. The old him would never have bothered, unless it would have ultimately served to his benefit.

Parts of him were unchanged, some parts had changed, and other parts were the same but different. He certainly wasn't perfect anymore. No, that was certainly not true anymore.

-o-

Modern Japanese and mathematics over, Ken sat through history particularly distracted from today's lecture about the Tokugawa Shogunate and instead wrote down Takeru and Sora's advice. _Skating is easy, once you get the basics. Don't be afraid of falling. Try your best._ Ken paused in thought, tapping the mechanical pencil eraser against his bottom lip. Before they had parted ways, Sora had given him what he thought was the best motivation possible. Graphite hit the page, spelling out—_Remember why you're doing this._

Ken stared at the kanji and hiragana headlining the top of a fresh note sheet. At first he underlined only 'why' and then changed his mind and underlined the whole sentence. Of course, he knew why he was learning to skate.

_Miyako_, he wrote in katakana on the next line.

It had taken Ken forever, at least it had felt like forever, to gather the nerve to ask her out for this Saturday when everyone was over at Daisuke's last weekend. Fate had not necessarily waited for him and Ken and Miyako had somehow found themselves alone together, though the coincidence honestly reeked of an internal conspiracy.

The plan in his head had not gone as followed—they never did in such situations, Ken had learned—but somehow Ken had made it through relatively unscarred and still breathing and Miyako had said yes and had given him such a broad smile in return.

It wasn't really a date though, just two good friends hanging out, but Ken hoped he could change her mind and their relationship.

Ken continued writing. _Miyako is…_ He finished the sentence and filled the page, pausing only to click more lead into the pencil tip.

"Ichijouji," his history teacher, a stern man who in his recent youth had served in the Japanese Defense Force and ran the class like he had never left, called on him. "Read to me what you have in your notes."

His history teacher had a nose for inattention, or more accurately, the ears. He could discern through his class's pencil scratching and hear which students weren't writing his lecture from the steady rhythm of those that were. Somehow, he was always right.

Ken stood up from his seat, holding his open notebook in front of himself, and stared at his hiragana and kanji marks as if it was Arabic. Maybe that was the key to freedom, he considered. Maybe he could explain to the teacher that he had inexplicably forgotten how to read. Maybe claim he was having a stroke…

Ken groaned to himself. He was thinking about playing stupid with the sternest teacher in his school—it was a better idea to save his teacher the time and throw himself out the door.

"Ichijouji," his history teacher repeated, impatience growing swiftly in his voice, "…_your notes_."

Ken swallowed his breath, took one last look up, and as his notebook shook in his hands, read aloud, "Miyako is Love. Sweet, honest, unpredictable, lively Love—"

Fate took pity on Ken and made his teacher brusquely end his embarrassing personal ramblings, keen observations, and saccharine, poorly written love poetry to Miyako, which Ken would fully admit to how _bad_ it was but it was for his eyes and heart anyway, and ordered him into the hallway.

"Yes, sir..." Ken, his head bowed and face once again blazing red, thankfully made a quick beeline to the door as he ignored his surprised classmates' smirks and giggles.

Today's lesson learned: Being honest was sometimes the more shameful path than to flat out lie.

-o-

Sora said to come back to the rink at four for more practice. Ken was nervous and all because this lesson would be during business hours. Ken did not have good experience practicing during business hours. He knew he was pathetic and he didn't want to be seen, and he certainly didn't want to be made fun of again. But he wanted to learn and had to learn and the only way he would learn was if he practiced. Which included in public.

Bus-hopping complete, Ken headed inside the skating rink. His arms and neck were still sore from holding buckets of water at his sides and one atop his head outside his classroom for the rest of his history class. Ken made a mental note to never get in trouble fifteen minutes into class. It only resulted in a thirty-five minute punishment.

Ken was quickly out on the ice again. Blocking one of the gates, that is. With all the stares and murmurs, he struggled to keep focused and apply Sora's lessons into practice. Thankfully, Sora was patient with him. About none of the other skaters were. They watched him and regarded him as some little, in-the-way nuisance whose inept ability at skating was an insult to behold and Ken had to agree they were right.

Ken heard laughter and his cheeks and ears instantly turned pink. He tried reasoning to himself that most people who can skate would find enjoyment out of the activity and thus laughter was normal and expected. But Ken couldn't convince himself that the laughter came from people having fun. No, he was certain every smile, every giggle, and every point was directed at him.

Sora was a great teacher though. Without her, he would have given up in a minute, fallen on his backside a few times, and left in a shameful hurry if he was on his own. She had never stopped encouraging him and kept him focusing on his skating or, if he preferred, on her and told him to ignore the jeers.

And by the end of the lesson, Ken was standing in the gate without support.

It wasn't much of a victory but it was something of a victory for Ken.

-o-

It was Tuesday afternoon and Ken was once again at the skating rink during business hours. And despite the early rises and bus waltzing, Ken still preferred the morning lessons to being seen during his afternoon.

"Okay, let's take a break," Taichi said, helping Ken inch back along the rink wall to the gate. "Not bad, Ken. You're getting better."

"I am?" Ken said, surprised. "I can't tell…"

"At least you're moving now," Taichi said, trying to keep Ken positive.

Ken's ability to move now on the ice basically consisted of Ken stepping (not gliding) inch by inch along the rink wall with one hand against the wall and the rest of him fully supported and watched over by Taichi.

He had only met Taichi a few times and mostly knew about him from Daisuke. He had been nice enough to volunteer to help teach Ken how to ice-skate while Sora had tennis practice. And as for why Takeru, Daisuke, Hikari, or Iori wasn't out there teaching Ken, the reason was simple—someone always had to be on duty to keep Miyako occupied and oblivious to Ken's lessons. Miyako could not find out. It would spoil the date if she did and Ken did not want to do anything to jeopardize his chance to make Miyako his girl.

"I'm just really nervous," Ken said as he and Taichi sat down at a nearby table. "It's the first time I've ever been out on a date."

"Ah…" Taichi nodded in understanding. "Everything's new and uncertain. You want things to go right so you try and be perfect so everything will go right because you know that when something _does_ happen, you'll be helpless to stop it."

Ken leaned forward and listened to Taichi. After all, he was his senior and clearly knew more about girls than him. Before befriending Miyako and Hikari, the summary of Ken's knowledge of girls consisted of that girls were not boys, they tended to travel in packs, and they tended to smile and giggle a lot if Ken tried talking to them.

Of course, thanks to Hikari and Miyako, his knowledge about girls had expanded, became more detailed, sometimes downright overturned itself, and regularly befuddled him. Girls weren't easy to figure out, even for a genius like Ken. Miyako, in particular, was confusing to Ken but that was one of many things he liked about her. She kept him on his toes, kept him thinking.

"Thing is…" Taichi went on, "if you try to be perfect, you're more likely to mess up anyway because you're so rushed to open a door for her or jumpy to hand her something, so there's no point in acting perfect. You're not perfect, Miyako knows that, and she's not expecting you to be. It's best to take everything in stride and be your best self, awkward parts and all. That's what I've learned. I guess it's not much but it's all I know about dating. I hope it's helpful."

"It is. Thank you. …Though technically we're not going on a date," Ken said, dropping his gaze to the floor as he pushed imaginary fuzz off his uniform sleeve. "It's more like two good friends hanging out together."

"Those are her words, not yours, I presume?" Taichi said.

Ken's eyes widened in surprise at how intuitive and spot on Taichi was as he looked back up at him but catching himself, he quickly canted his stare back down.

"Real dates really aren't that different from hanging out," Taichi said. "Maybe that's why she explained it to you that way so you wouldn't get nervous or think you'd have to act overly romantic just because you're on a date. "

"I don't know…" Ken said. "Just hanging out doesn't sound all that romantic to me."

Taichi grinned. "You'd be amazed at what constitutes as a 'romantic' date for some girls."

"That is true," Ken said, nodding, "but I don't think Miyako meant Saturday to be a date."

"Hmm…" Taichi paused and peered up in consideration for a moment. "I wouldn't lose hope yet. She did invite _just_ you. If she really wanted to just hang out as normal, she would have invited the others as well."

_He has a point, _Ken realized. Ken perked up. "You think so?"

"I'd feel comfortable wagering on that," Taichi said confidently. "I know that Hikari has no plans on Saturday."

"She's going on a date with Take—" Ken, immediately realizing his slip, quickly covered his hand over his mouth.

From the way Taichi slid his stare over and smiled, Ken knew he had definitely goofed. Taichi shook with quiet laughter. "It's okay. I already knew," he explained, resting a hand reassuringly on Ken's shoulder. "Big brothers have their way of finding out their little sister's dates."

And from Taichi's tone of voice and his smile, Ken could tell Taichi planned on giving Takeru the full big brother treatment on a little sister's first date routine to Takeru. Luckily, Miyako had decided to meet in the park so Miyako's brother wouldn't get the wrong impression and put Ken through the same routine.

_I wonder, if Osamu was here, what his advice would have been..._Ken thought, the sound of his internal voice soft._ Would it have been the same as Taichi's? Do all big brothers share the same advice? Or would have Osamu known nothing about dating? _

Briefly, Ken deliberated.

_No, he would have. He would have been popular with girls._

_Would Osamu have helped me? Would he have taught me how to skate? Or would he have thought it silly and refused to? He would have been even more famous by now and possibly too busy with his own girlfriends to help his baby brother win his elementary schoolgirl crush._

_Miyako first liked me when I was famous. Maybe she would have fallen for Osamu instead…_

Taichi gave Ken's back a quick pat, breaking him from the downward slide of his disparaging thoughts, and stood. "Let's practice some more."

Ken nodded, rose from his seat, and followed Taichi's lead back to the ice.

"Umm… Taichi?" Ken said quietly, so quietly it was a wonder if Taichi could have heard him.

Apparently, Taichi had or that Taichi had been waiting for Ken to speak. He turned halfway around and said, "Yeah?"

"…Thank you," Ken said, a small but genuine smile peeking out across his face.

Taichi smiled back and gave him a thumbs up. "No sweat."

Ken was a genius, yes, but sometimes he forgot things. Important things. Sometimes it took others like Taichi, Daisuke, or Miyako to remind him of those important things he had temporarily forgotten, like how this was the real world and that he was supposed to live in and for this world and not dwell on and be swallowed by the dark, what-if world that only existed in his mind, a world that seemed to be a bridge to the Dark Ocean.

That was another reason he liked Miyako—she kept him grounded, kept him focused and out and open in the real world, human or digital. She didn't let him dwell on what-ifs. She was too busy brightening his world to let him drown into the dark. She dragged him by the hand through the here and now, never letting him stop long enough to look far back. And though sometimes her boundless energy tired him, he enjoyed every adventure with her.


	2. Chapter 2

Story Title: Trial By Ice

Disclaimer: Still don't own Digimon 02.

Author's Notes: Thanks to KyuuuChan, chromate, Aquamarine6996, and DoliInTheSkyWithDiamonds for reviewing and to all those who faved and followed this story. Honestly, your reviews are what pushed me to finally finish this story after shelving it for four years. I don't know if I would've ever finished this if not for your kind words so thank you once more.

I really wanted to get a few more of the other Chosen Children to help teach Ken but I couldn't figure out a logical reason for any of them to show up and teach him other than literally having them randomly show up and help out. I particularly wanted Jou because I think he would've made another good big brother figure for Ken but logic states his studies probably wouldn't have let him have time to randomly help Ken out and ice-skating isn't on par with saving the Digital World… Oh well, what would have been…

And here we have part two of what would have been quite a long one-shot. As always, thank you for reading.

-o-

Chapter 2: The Fruits of His Endeavor

-o-

The phone rang yet again and from underneath the towel covering his head, Ken groaned. Aside from Wormmon, Ken was the only one home this Wednesday night, his parents having gone out on a much-deserved night out. A small part of him selfishly wished they hadn't gone out so someone else could have been here to deal with the phone.

The phone hit a fourth ring. Ken ignored it and went on drying his hair. He didn't want to pick it up and wasn't going to in the chance that it might be Miyako Watanabe from his class.

Ken's unfortunate reading of his notes in class had an unforeseen consequence of leading a girl to believe he had been talking about her. Watanabe was going around school claiming Ken was madly in love with her and causing mass jealousy and rage in all the other elementary school girls. The whole scenario had Ken baffled because he had no idea that he was apparently such a prize in the girls' eyes and didn't understand why all the girls were acting this way. He thought about asking Miyako and Hikari to explain to him this strange behavioral phenomenon.

Before all this, Ken had thought Watanabe was a nice girl—granted he never had much to do with her—but she had seemed nice and she was kind of pretty. But beauty couldn't make up for personality and she was acting like a love-crazed stalker, following him around school, clinging to him at all chances, bragging about how in love they were, and calling his home nonstop. His parents thought it was cute he had an admirer and weren't concerned and downplayed her behavior as just innocent fun. Ken was mortified and tried to avoid and escape her clutches and her endless embarrassing pet names for him and the ones she demanded he used for her. Wormmon had offered to sticky net her. Ken considered letting him. Especially if she ever appeared at his home.

"Ken," Wormmon called down the hall, "should I answer it?"

Ken thought on it. He had tried letting Wormmon answer the phone before but that had not gone well. In truth, everything had been fine until a persistent and persuasive telemarketer had his partner believing they had won a cruise—Wormmon didn't really know what a 'cruise' was but had been thrilled to have won something—and could give him a free timeshare—again, the meaning lost on Wormmon—if he just gave him such and such vital information.

After that call and a little arguing from Wormmon, upset he couldn't have his prize, and Ken's explanation that it had been a scammer fishing for personal info, that for now was the end of Wormmon answering the phone.

"No," Ken called back, "just let the answering machine catch it."

Wormmon agreed but asked Ken where the answering machine's arms were. Ken stifled his laugh but failed to not smile.

Ken heard the answering machine kick on and his family's message play. Tossing the damp towel in the hamper, Ken waited by his door to hear if the caller would leave a message.

And they did. Well, she did.

"Ken, this is Miyako." Instantly recognizing the voice as Miyako's—Inoue, not Watanabe—Ken bolted down the hall.

"Are you there?" she asked. "Wait, dumb question. You'd answer the phone if you were home. Sorry." She laughed in embarrassment a bit before her voice faded into disappointment. "…I guess you're not home."

Ken reached the phone table but slid past it in his haste and he scrambled to backtrack over his misstep. He grabbed the phone just as Miyako said she would call back tomorrow.

"Hello? Ichijouji Residence," he said in a hurry, practically shouting into the receiver. "Miyako?"

"Ken? Is that you?" she said, much to Ken's grateful relief. He had worried she had hung up already. "You sound out of breath. Did you just get in?"

"You could say that," Ken said, catching his breath, his heart thumping, as he leaned casually against the wall and smiled.

"Sorry for calling so late," Miyako said.

"It's okay, really it is," Ken said, darting a glance up at the clock and seeing it was 8:46, not really that late. "I'm glad you called."

"I tried calling you earlier but your mother said you weren't home."

Ken said nothing. He swallowed his air dryly and looked about guiltily. Luckily, they were on the phone, otherwise Miyako would have known something was up if they were talking face to face.

"In fact, I've been calling you all week and you haven't been home."

"Er, well…" Ken tried to come up with a good response but failed to. That and Miyako wasn't letting him get a word in edgewise.

"And you barely replied to any of my messages. I haven't seen or heard from you all week! I was starting to get worried. It looked like you were distancing yourself."

"N-No, it's not like that at all. Uh, this week is just busy for me. I've got…a lot of tests this Friday," Ken poorly replied and hoped for the best.

"Oh…" Miyako said, her voice quieted and saddened. "You won't be busy on Saturday, will you? We're going ice-skating, remember?"

"Of course!" Ken replied a little too immediately. "After Friday, I'm clear. I'm marking down the days as we speak."

At that, Miyako giggled. "Okay, Ken. Try not to tire yourself out and I'll see you on Saturday. Oh, I wish it was tomorrow… I can't wait! Weekdays are so much slower than weekends, it's not fair."

After his own goodbye, Ken set the phone back on the hook and sat down beside the phone stand. Even though he still had plenty of reservations about his skating ability (or lack thereof), after talking to Miyako, he certainly didn't feel like Saturday's arrival would signal the end and he actually felt excited about going skating with Miyako for the first time this week. Maybe he would learn in time and Saturday would be perfect after all…

"Ken, are you all right?" Wormmon said, crawling from the living room and hopping into his lap. "Your cheeks are red again. Are you getting a fever?" Wormmon raised a claw up to his forehead and checked.

"No, Wormmon, I'm just happy," Ken assured as he held his partner and stood up. "Come on. Let's see if we can find something to snack on."

Wormmon readily agreed, practically cheering in Ken's arms, as they entered the kitchen. One unforeseen side effect of all his practicing was all his hard work leaving Ken with quite an appetite at the end of the day. Normally, Ken didn't eat much, when he remembered to eat at all. But since his skating lessons, Ken would not only eat his dinner but several snacks throughout the night. Ken didn't think much of it but his parents and his partner thought it was great improvement.

"Hey, Ken…" he heard Wormmon say as he decided between chips, red bean buns, a mini-pizza, or all of the above.

He turned and looked at his partner on the countertop.

"I'm glad you're happy," he said and Ken returned his smile.

Actually, Ken decided, between the two of them, they could probably handle a little of all three.

-o-

On Thursday afternoon, a miracle happened. Ken skated. Sort of and he had Taichi's support but it was the first time he had managed to get his legs to do something actually resembling skating. It was proof enough to Ken that skating indeed wasn't a made-up prank and it was something he was actually capable of doing after all.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Ken asked, catching sight of Hikari and Takeru watching him outside the rink. With Taichi's help, he skated over to them.

"Just seeing how the lessons are going," Takeru said. He wondered if he should tell Takeru that Taichi knew about their Saturday plans and give him a head's up on Taichi's own but didn't think it was his place to impede big brother tradition.

"Yea, how are things going?" Hikari asked. "Big brother says you're doing well."

"He's too kind," Ken said, tipping his head downward in embarrassment. "Truth is I just started skating today and not very well."

"Come on, Ken. Be proud of yourself," Taichi said, giving his shoulder a gentle, encouraging shake. "You're skating. We'll work on the 'well' part but you're skating."

"Yeah, you're doing a lot better from our first lesson," Takeru said.

"Yes," Ken nodded, grateful for the all support around him. "And I still have some time left. I hope to be ready."

"You will," Takeru assured. "As long as Koushiro doesn't drop by and forget you're supposed to be learning how to skate, not be a sounding board."

"Ah, he'll be ready," Taichi said, grinning. "All of us pitching in, he's bound to figure out something about skating by then."

"Good luck, Ken." Hikari smiled cheerfully. "Miyako won't even be able to tell you didn't know how to skate a week ago, I bet."

And then Takeru's D-Terminal chimed inside his backpack, alerting everyone of a new email. Hikari helped Takeru fish out the handheld.

"Oh, it's Miyako," Takeru said and then paused to read her message. His fading smile was an instant cause for concern. "…Uh oh, she's asking if we've seen Ken. Looks like Daisuke said something."

"S-She knows?" Ken said, nearly losing his balance in his panic and would have fallen if Taichi had not caught him and helped him stand.

"I don't think so…" Hikari said, reading the email over Takeru's shoulder until her own D-Terminal started to chime. "Oh, Daisuke sent something. …Seems like he managed to keep your lessons secret but Miyako knows that he knows you've been busy doing something secret all week and he won't tell her what that is—"

"And she's trying to find out what the secret is and I guess trying to find out who else might know," Takeru said as he typed. "But we're at the bookstore right now and we haven't seen you all week either but we promise to call or message you and tell you to talk to her."

Ken bowed his head and sighed in relief. "Thank you," he said. At least for now, she didn't know and he had time to figure out something to lead her off the track, in case she insisted on knowing. "We should get back, though..."

"Yea, hopefully we can get you skating by yourself before Daisuke breaks," Taichi said, taking hold of Ken's hands and helping him inch away.

"But he could crack at any moment," Hikari said. "Better stick to the Saturday deadline."

Ken had to agree to that. He really didn't need the extra worry on his mind and shoulders so he tried not to think about the strong possibility of Miyako finding out about his lessons at any second but Ken wasn't the type to not dwell on disparaging thoughts. "Please don't let Miyako find out about my lessons," he pled.

"Just concentrate on learning how to skate," Takeru said, "and leave the damage control to us."

Ken offered a quick, uncertain smile in thanks and headed off with Taichi to practice more. His attention was soon back on his friends when he noticed a silver shine as Hikari raised her camera.

"Ah! Please don't take any pictures!" Ken shouted over his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Ken," Hikari called. It was harder to see out near the center of the rink but Ken was fairly certain she was smiling and Takeru's shoulders were shaking with laughter. "I promise I won't take any pictures."

She certainly didn't sound like she wasn't planning on taking any pictures.

"Hikari—" he whined, wobbling on the ice in worry and in complete distraction from the task at hand. His wiggling and wobbling soon fell way to outright flailing as Ken lost what little balance he had in his panic.

"Ken! You have to focus!" Taichi ordered, as he managed to grab a hold of him long enough to get pulled down to the ice with him.

Then again, Ken reconsidered as he bowed his head and apologized profusely to Taichi as they each winced and held their sore lower backs, perhaps one miracle wasn't enough.

-o-

Hearing Daisuke call his name as he headed over to meet him and Takeru at the ice rink, Ken stopped and smiled as he turned around and saw him waving his arm in hello with Takeru walking close after. Today's lesson was a little later than the others, with Ken timing his commute from Tamachi to take into account Daisuke's soccer practice. Luckily, there hadn't been a great need afterwards to fabricate a story for Miyako as Iori's grandfather's VCR needed a repair and Miyako was confident she could fix it, though she admitted it had been a while since she had fixed one but she was eager to get the chance to.

Miyako still suspected something was going on. So far, the others had helped keep Ken's lessons a secret but once in a while, Miyako would try to pry something out of Daisuke, he would try to keep quiet but never actually stop talking and their words would grow heated, and eventually someone had to save Daisuke before he spoke a little too much. Luckily, with Miyako having graduated to middle school, Daisuke was at least safe from her there.

But Ken could hardly find fault with Daisuke for having such a hard time keeping quiet. Miyako and Daisuke's tempers could stand in front of one another and not know which was which. The two together…well, strong spirits like theirs tended to clash. It was a wonder that Daisuke had managed to keep quiet this long, especially when she knew her friends were keeping something from her.

"If it hadn't been for Taichi aiming a ball right at Daisuke's head, she would've found out today," Takeru said.

"Yea, he just needed to kick it a little harder and I would've forgotten the secret all together," Daisuke grumbled as he tentatively touched the bruise on the back of his head. "Probably would've forgotten today's math lesson and how to juggle too."

"Daisuke, you don't know how to juggle anyway," Ken reminded him.

"Yea, well…" Daisuke said, scratching his cheek and smiling sheepishly. "If I had, I would've forgotten how…"

"Well, we've only got a few more hours. Can't you avoid Miyako until tomorrow?" Takeru said.

"I don't have to. I've got it all planned," Daisuke said, head raised and smiling, proud of his idea. "When I'm about to give, I'll just make something up. Like you're on a secret mission for the government. Battling rainforest diamond pirates or something."

Ken resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "That probably wouldn't help things, Daisuke," he said matter-of-factly.

Eyebrow raised in disbelief, Takeru said, "Yea, you're liable to make her angrier lying to her like that."

"But I can't let Ken's secret slip!"

"And you can't tell her wild stories either. Just tell her something reasonable," Takeru said. "Or better yet just let the rest of us handle it. You can hold out for a few more hours, can't you?"

"Yea…" Daisuke grumbled in disappointment. "I was going to make up something cool."

Being a Friday, thus close to the weekend, the ice rink was far more crowded now than Ken had ever seen it earlier in the week. Though he could leave the gate now, the sight of so many people still stifled his courage. Apparently, the rink was a popular place for Odaiba students of all grades to go after school. Daisuke and Takeru waved back and chatted briefly with some passing classmates as they slipped on their skates. Ken said hello when noticed and a few recognized him and asked him for an autograph. He tried not to think of what they would think of him once they saw him out on the ice.

"You think I'll finally be able to skate by myself? I don't have much time left," Ken said as he tightened his laces on his skates.

"You kidding me, Ken?" Daisuke said, laying a hand on Ken's shoulder and raising his other in a confident fist. "By tonight, we'll have you ready for the Winter Olympics! Get ready to represent Japan—"

Takeru quieted Daisuke with a quick jab in the side. "What Daisuke means is yes."

The three of them was a curious sight around the rink, with Takeru and Daisuke each supporting a side and Ken in the middle with his arms wrapped around their shoulders. A few of their classmates eyed them in wonder, purely surprised that ice-skating was apparently one of a few things the Boy Genius didn't know how to do. A few came up to them to say just that and gently kidded with Ken, who took their words in stride and smiled softly in embarrassment. Daisuke, on the other hand, took to his defense a few times and loudly explained that they were _trying_ to teach him to the few who were outright mocking him.

While Takeru was busy responding to Yamato's message, Daisuke continued helping Ken practice. Daisuke's hands rested on Ken's shoulders while Ken held onto Daisuke's outstretched arms for support.

"Hey, I was wondering something..." Daisuke said as they inched along. "The Dark Spore made you a genius, right? Then how come it didn't tell you how to ice skate?"

"The Dark Spore only enhances a host's intelligence and physical abilities," Ken explained, his eyes fixed down on the ice and his feet. "It does not provide information or skills. If I had sought to learn how to ice-skate it would have allowed me to learn at an accelerated pace."

"And I guess the Kaiser wouldn't have needed to know how to ice-skate, " Daisuke said, grinning. "Just so you know I'm totally picturing you as the Kaiser laughing manically as you spin around on the ice."

"Could we…talk about something else?" Ken said, clearly uncomfortable. His time as the Kaiser was something simultaneously always with him and banished to the far corners of his mind. Much as he tried to distance himself from him, it was impossible to escape someone who wore the same clothes, walked in the same shoes, was you at one time.

"Oh, yea… Right… Sorry about that," Daisuke said, cringing at his own insensitivity. "But y'know, Ken, you're not him anymore. I know it's a still a sore spot and this'll be the last I'll talk about it, I swear, but I just want to remind you that you aren't him anymore. I can't make you not think about it but I can tell you to try to not let it get you down."

"It's all right, Daisuke. I think the ice will get me down before my thoughts will," Ken said, wavering. "My attention is a little occupied right now to think of anything else."

"Oh yeah… Concentrating…" Daisuke said, helping Ken regain his balance. "But you know, you are doing much better."

"But it's not good enough," Ken said. "I have to be able to skate by myself. Miyako can't hold me up the entire time."

"Why not?" Daisuke grinned. "You do want to get closer to her."

"That's not…" Redness flushed from Ken's cheeks and ears. "I-I…"

"Wow, I've never seen you like this," Daisuke said, eyes wide. "You must really like Miyako."

Head tilted downward, Ken gently nodded yes.

"I get how she was all gaga for you but what about her changed for you? Miyako is…Miyako. Personally, she reminds me too much of my sister."

"That's because you and her are more similar than either one of you realize," Ken said as Daisuke scrunched up his face in confusion and disagreement. "To be honest… She confuses me."

"She confuses _me_ all the time," Daisuke said, head raised high, "but you don't see me asking her out."

"Miyako…does things the way Miyako wants to. She is true to herself and everyone around her. I'm not the Boy Genius to her. I'm Ken."

"Ha, you like her because she doesn't ask for your autograph anymore," Daisuke joked.

"In a sense, yes, I do. I've had enough of the spotlight and it's nice to be just Ken." He canted his stare off to the side. "I'm still figuring out what that means…"

Daisuke stared at him wide-eyed and blinked. "What do you mean? How can you not know that?"

"I was young when the Spore infected me and for years, it changed me and then I became the Kaiser. Now without it, I have no idea who I am and I have to sort through which is me and which is the Spore's influence…that is what the Spore brought out of me. I have to remember what it is and means to be Ken again."

Again, Daisuke started back at him and blinked his eyes repeatedly in astonishment. "…You really need to go out with Miyako this Saturday," he said in total seriousness. "Just to have some fun."

"My thoughts are not that grim…" Ken said as Daisuke raised an incredulous eyebrow. "It's just simply what it is. Something I have to figure out."

Daisuke sighed. "I know we saved two worlds and all and we're total heroes," he said. "But Ken, you know you're not in junior high yet? And that it's okay to act your age once in while?"

"I know. But there are plenty of things that are…more difficult to sort through than others. Things that will take more time. It's another reason why I like Miyako," Ken said. "Miyako says what is in her honest heart for good and bad and I believe that her sincerity will best keep me in check."

"Sounds like you're thinking awfully far ahead, Ken," Daisuke said, smiling suggestively. "Saving up for a ring yet?"

Ken was not amused.

"What? That's what you sound like!" Daisuke said. "Come on. I know you're supposed to think ahead but you go too far forward. You should think more like me—"

"Not more than a second beforehand?" Ken smirked playfully.

"Exactly!" Daisuke nodded and then realized what Ken had said. "Hey, wait…"

It was then Daisuke's turn to stare unamused back at him as Ken laughed.

-o-

He really shouldn't feel this nervous. His stomach shouldn't feel like Stingmon was swarming about inside him but no matter how many calming breaths he took or how many peppermints he ate to help settle it, his stomach still tipped and churned. His hair was fine every time he caught his reflection in the storefront windows as he passed by on his way to meeting up with Miyako in Odaiba Park and yet he still raised a hand and drew one side behind his ear, only for it to fall right back into its perfect angle once more.

He pressed his hands flat inside his jean pockets in an effort to get them to stop shaking. He really shouldn't be this nervous. He was meeting Miyako. He was meeting a friend, not just a friend but someone he wanted to be even dearer to than that. Nervous should be the last emotion rushing through him and yet he didn't know if all his lessons would pay off, if their not-date would go well, if they would be anything more than friends. He had plenty to be nervous about, even though he shouldn't be.

Ken pulled out his mints and found the small pillbox empty. Just as well, he supposed since he was past the park gates and simply had to find Miyako. That and his breath was so minty chill he could probably freeze his gloves together.

Typing a message on her D-Terminal, Miyako waited by the splashing bronze water fountain of a mermaid clutching a seagull-winged baby. She was wearing her deep red jacket with matching winter tights and her similarly colored vaguely tartan skirt. Ken caught the splash of pink around her neck and noticed she was wearing her turtleneck sweater, but not without first noticing the red sparkling flower that reminded Ken strongly of Shurimon's shuriken pinned to her orange knitted cap. The flower was definitely new.

Catching sight of him, she smiled brightly and waved to him. She quickly closed her D-Terminal and stuffed it into her backpack and then hurried toward him and, to his surprise, wrapped her arms around him.

"Hi, Ken!" she said through her laughter. "It's so good to see you!"

"A-Ah, M-Miyako!" Ken said, taken aback, as he tipped backwards at the sudden off-balance. "It's nice to see you too."

"It's been so long," Miyako said, still with her arms around him. Ken wasn't sure if the heartbeat he was feeling was his or hers.

"It's been a week," he said, a little confused.

"Yea, but—" she said, as she slipped out of their hug and pouted a bit in annoyance. "We hardly get to see you, so it's not just been a week."

"That is true," Ken agreed. Between everyone's daily schedules and his commute, they rarely had time to see one another. Last Saturday at Daisuke's had been the first time in a while that the six of them had been able to hang out together. Miyako was in middle school now and only saw Iori and Takeru now and again because they lived in the same complex.

"Ah, finally we get to see each other and here we are standing around too much. Come on, let's go skating!" she said, grinning, as she took him by the hand and pulled him along as he stumbled and hurried to match her pace toward the ice rink.

At least one of them was eager to get on the ice. Unfortunately, that was Miyako and not Ken. As they laced up their skates, Ken purposely retied his knots several times in an effort to stall time. Truthfully, he just wanted to calm his nerves and gather his courage. Ken would have asked Daisuke to let him hold onto the Digimental of Courage for the afternoon if it could actually bless the holder with courage but it could not and did not. No, all Ken had was time and breath to find his own nerve.

"Let's go, Ken!" she said as she helped him stand.

As the ice drew closer, Ken's heartbeat quickened. Every bit of advice, every lesson seemed to float aimlessly about in his head like the bubbles he blew off the balcony with Osamu. The exposure of the truth was imminent and Ken couldn't stand to let Miyako see the truth without her knowing.

"Miyako, there's something you should know," he said, as she turned and faced him, a curious and puzzled look on her face. "I-I don't really know how to skate. I'm sorry, I should've told you but you were so eager to come here that I didn't say anything. I tried to learn all week and everyone helped out but even with all my lessons, I still can't skate well."

Ken wasn't sure how he expected her to react. Disappointed, yes, maybe even a bit annoyed by him not telling her the truth and keeping things behind her back. What he did not expect was the softness in her eyes and her understanding smile.

"That's okay," she said. "The point is that you tried. You went through so much just to make me happy." And then she looked down at the rink, touched the tips of her gloved thumbs together, and grinned sheepishly. "Truth is…I should be apologizing to you. I chose to go ice-skating because Daisuke told me once you couldn't and I wanted to know how much I meant to you."

It was then Ken's turn not to know how to react.

"The boys didn't know but Hikari knew my plan and kept me up to date on your lessons. I only pretended not to know anything." She peered back up at him, her eyes apologetic. "I understand if you're angry with me…"

Ken shook his head no and smiled. "I'm not angry. It was an interesting experience learning how to ice-skate."

"I can't believe you went through so much just for me…" Miyako said.

Ken tipped his head down bashfully. "I guess you mean a lot to me then."

"Yea…" Miyako blushed and grinned brightly. Overcome and energized with happiness, she suddenly raised her fist and cheered. "All right! The others gave you lessons all week but you haven't had one with _me_! And I bet you'll definitely know how to skate by the time we're through!"

Thankfully she did not drag him onto the ice as she grabbed both his hands and led him through the rink gate. Miyako guided him gently along, her hands resting on his shoulders, as he slowly skated with her support. He steadied himself more by holding onto her upper arms than by laying his hands on her shoulders, unable and uncomfortable with resting them any higher than that. Both stared down toward their feet, each one leaning toward the other in an effort to get a better view. In time, there was no more distance left as their foreheads touched.

Surprise caught the both of them and they looked up, meeting one another's eyes and holding their gaze. Her brown eyes stared back at his violet-blue in awe and wonder. Ken's heart drummed in his chest as he felt the weight of her hands on his shoulders, the feel of his own around her upper arms, and speculated on what it would be like to wrap them around her waist and draw her close to him.

He heard Miyako indistinctly mumble something about Ken smelling like peppermints and Ken muttered he ate a pillbox full as their eyes remained fixed and studied one another's faces. Ken calculated the distance between their lips first in inches and then in centimeters and then asked himself if he had the courage to shorten the gap between them. As it turned out, no, no, he did not. That and Miyako was the first to softly and awkwardly laugh—it sort of sounded like a high, sharp hiccup—and looked away, pink on her cheeks. Ken followed suit seconds after.

"Ken…" she said, still pink and peering away. "You want to try skating on your own?"

Eyes widening in alarm, Ken certainly didn't want to try.

"I think you're ready," she said.

Ken didn't think he was ready. He certainly didn't feel ready as he felt her hands slide away and she pushed off sharply away from him. Ken flailed his arms and wiggled a bit at the shock and sudden loss of support but soon found his balance and managed to propel his skates forward. Again and again.

"Bingo!" Miyako cheered, clapping her gloved hands vigorously. "You've got it!"

Indeed, somehow, Ken was skating by himself at a leisurely pace like everyone else circling the rink. He could probably skate faster but Ken saw no reason to push his luck. He did nearly fall back and hit the ice when Miyako skated toward him and hugged him. Miyako laughed in complete joy of his success and Ken smiled in return as he felt the warmth of her cheek pressed against his. He even mustered enough courage to return her hug, tentatively drawing his arms around her shoulders. At the end of his lessons and now an ice-skater of adequate skill, Ken decided that skating was pretty fun after all.

Ken could not remember how many times they went around the rink. He could describe the feel of holding Miyako's hand around the ice or of her pulling him along as she sped forward as he scrambled to catch up and found himself not so much panicking than enjoying the sudden rush—it certainly kept his heart beating. He could map out every smile line around her mouth and eyes and he knew exactly where the light would shine through her ears but he could not tell you how long they had been out there. It was only when Miyako decided it was time for a hot chocolate break did Ken see that two hours had passed.

"You know, Ken," she said as they sat at a table, sipped hot chocolate, and watched the steady stream of people spiral around the ice. "From now on, if there's ever a place you don't want to go or I ask you to do something you don't know how, you should tell me. Just because I suggest it doesn't mean we have to do it."

Ken watched the curls of melted whipped cream swirl about on the surface of his hot chocolate. "But you seemed like you really wanted to come here and I didn't want to upset you…"

"Ken, you're missing the point!" she said, her voice raised. "I don't want to go somewhere just because. I want to go there to be _with you_. You can tell me if you don't like it or want to do it because how can I have any fun if you're not having any fun? You have to speak up, Ken!"

Miyako's spirit ran like lightning, for good and bad—as equally she could bolt around for hours, laughing and smiling, her temper could flash and flare. At least, throughout her quick-triggered, passionate responses, he knew she was being sincere. There was always honesty in her words.

"You're right, Miyako. I should've said something. I should've told you." He nodded appreciatively and smiled, one that he knew was sure to calm her. "I promise I'll speak up."

"And then if you ever want lessons, you can include me next time. I'm a great teacher, aren't I?" She grinned and winked.

Well, she certainly provided Ken plenty of distraction, he admitted. Ken softly laughed. "You know, it never once occurred to me that you had any other reason for choosing ice-skating over anything else," he said. "I do believe you outsmarted me."

Miyako raised her head high and proud. "You're not the only genius in the world, Ken Ichijouji," she said and then stuck her thumb out and pointed at herself. "This super girl happens to have a pretty good head on her shoulders too."

"I've known that for a while now…" Ken said. "How smart you are, how funny, and full of energy you are. Though of all the things I know and like about the head on your shoulders, I admit I have a soft spot for everything between the ears."

Miyako did not know what to say and simply stared puzzled back at him.

"I…" His heart was beating and it positively was not from a hot chocolate caffeine-sugar rush. "…I like you."

He watched her blush and tip her head down and smile shyly. "I know," she said, idly swirling her half-empty cup. "No boy takes secret skating lessons for a girl he doesn't like."

"That is true," Ken said, looking down and fiddling with his fingers—the proper response of the shy and uncertain young couple on the precipice of blossoming love—before slowly reaching over and taking Miyako's hand. At first, he worried she would not let him but as his hand brushed hers, she pulled her hand from her cup and gave it to him.

"So, Ken…" Miyako said, eyes on their clasped hands, as her soft smile quickly broadened, "where are we going next time?"

"Oh, I don't know," he said casually. "Wherever you want to go is fine with me."

"You're lucky I like you, Ken Ichijouji," Miyako said, wrinkling her nose in light annoyance, as she held back her smile and tried not to laugh.

Ken simply grinned. Wherever they did go next, Miyako would probably end up leading him around anyway, ever eager as she was, but at least wherever they went, they would go together. From here on out.

Indeed, Ken was lucky.


End file.
